The Lincoln Lawyer

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: Based on a best-selling novel by Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer is a procedural drama with thriller elements about a slick lawyer (Matthew McConaughey), who works out of his Lincoln Town Car, and specializes in getting guilty criminals off the hook. But when you mess with a lot of guilty people, sometimes it can come back to bite you in the ass.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo, Michael Pena, Bob Gunton, Frances Fisher, Bryan Cranston, Trace Adkins, laurence Mason, Margarita Levieva, Pell James, Shea Whigham, Katherine Moennig, Michael Pare, Michaela Conlin, Reggie Baker

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Go! I never watch Law & Order, but I imagine that if I were a fan of it, it would be because it's a lot like this.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There are some charming character interactions, but none of the laughs are out loud.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: Marisa Tomei and McConaughey play a divorced couple on opposite sides of the law who spend a lot of free time together and seem to enjoy sharing a daughter. So, yeah, it kinda makes me cry that they can't just work it out.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Best Television Movie Not Playing on Television.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Nobody even tries to stretch beyond their limits, but sometimes that's what makes them just right for the roles they've been assigned.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Shaky hand-held camera, gritty minimalistic lighting, in-camera zooms... everything about the style and feel of this film looks completely independent, except for the presence of Matthew McConaughey.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It's not the most original structure ever put to film, but the moral dilemmas are interesting, and trying to figure out the main character's thinking keeps you glued to your seat. That said, this could just as easily be the pilot episode of a TV series. A good one, though.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Lincoln Lawyer Trailer

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Personal Effects

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A young man (Ashton Kutcher) and an older woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) meet at grievers' support group, and form their own personal little support system outside of the meetings.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates, Spencer Hudson, Aleks Paunovic, Mary Black

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's a drama, through and through, by which I mean, it doesn't even try to make you feel good. But it's not boring, it is intimate, and the two leads are serious eye-candy.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: This movie is so quiet, chewing popcorn sounds out of place-- so anything to do with actually using your vocal chords you're gonna wanna leave at the door.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: For people who've had someone close to them pass recently, I don't see how it could be avoided. But maybe it's worth it? It could be therapeutic.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: How is it that at the age of 50, Michelle Pfeiffer still gets my vote for Most Beautiful Woman in the World? If there are any youth and beauty potions that actually work, she's holding.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Ashton Kutcher is solid enough, and he even manages to shed a tear during a prolonged shot without cutaways... But then he spoils it a little, when we see him sort of smile with pride-- probably at his own ability to cry on cue. Kathy Bates, in a teeny-tiny role, is a genius. She doesn't have much screen time, but in one scene she laughs so hard that no sound comes out, and before you know it, you realize she's crying. Just seeing her name up on the screen makes you think, "Wow, what a great cast!" Who else is in it becomes almost irrelevant.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The color and lighting make the film appear flat and cold, simulating the feeling of emptiness that follows a loved one's death. On the downside, there are stylistic choices sporadically sprinkled throughout that are inconsistent with the rest of the visuals in the film, and stand out as choices made in the editing room, in places that weren't working.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: Rarely in real life have two people run into each other at random, as many times, and in as many places, as the leads in this film do at the beginning of this story. I tried to justify it in my mind by imagining that it was supposed to take place in a small town. But at the Q & A, the writer admitted that it was Pittsburgh. He should've lied.

Q: Is there anything else worth mentioning about the movie?

A: The beginning is confusing, because Ashton Kutcher is clearly doing the voiceover for the deaf character.  I imagine there's a poetic reason for this-- like to show how much they have in common, making them like one being-- but it comes off confusing, and it definitely helps to know that even though it sounds like Ashton Kutcher, the sentiments are supposed to be those of the deaf teenager.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: http://video.google.com/videosearch?client=safari&rls=en&q=personal+effects+trailer&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=f8KwSdW5PJauNdvFjfEE&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#

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